Microsoft said it is finally phasing out Internet Explorer, the company’s oldest browser, from June 15. The 27-year old browser became a household name from the late nineties, but has faced challenges maintaining its reign amid internet advancement.
Internet Explorer was launched in 1995 as an add-on package for Windows 95. Microsoft later started providing the app for free as part of the package.
The nearly three-decade-old browser peaked at 95 percent usage share in 2003. However, IE could not maintain its position, and its user base started to decline drastically as other competitors released new browsers with better user interfaces, faster internet speed and smoother performance.
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New feature development for Internet Explorer was discontinued in 2016 in favor of the new browser Microsoft Edge. This was the first time Microsoft had planned to slowly phase out Internet Explorer as over time, it has devolved into a default browser that is used to install other browsers.
“The future of Internet Explorer on Windows 10 lies in Microsoft Edge,” said Sean Lyndersay, Microsoft Edge program manager, quoted Mashable.
Lyndersay added, “Not only is Microsoft Edge a quicker, more secure, and more contemporary browsing experience than Internet Explorer, but it also addresses a crucial concern: compatibility for older, legacy websites and applications.”
“Internet Explorer mode (‘IE mode’) is incorporated into Microsoft Edge, allowing you to view older Internet Explorer-based websites and applications directly from Microsoft Edge,” the Microsoft Edge program manager said.
“With Microsoft Edge capable of taking on this and other responsibilities, the Internet Explorer 11 desktop application will be discontinued and phased out of support for certain versions of Windows 10 on June 15, 2022.”
Microsoft 365 ended support for Internet Explorer on August 17, 2021, and Microsoft Teams ended support for IE on November 30, 2020.
It is the end of an era for the much loved browser. Edge, which replaced Explorer, has failed to fill the popularity gap that has been largely taken by Google’s Chrome.